Be Present - Be Real

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Monday, March 2, 2015

from 2012...because we've been down to The Gulf - and while we had a good time, I just wasn't 'feeling it' since I just REALLY WANTED TO BE HOME IN THE SNOW.I might share more later... but for now, from 2012.....

I soooo love sunrise on
the beach

- just ask our boys who endured

[and hopefully have fond memories in looking
back at]

the many times we dragged them out of bed early to get out and have
breakfast just as the sun peeped over The Gulf - oftentimes at the state park
pavilion, and occasionally on the steps of those little bungalows The
Lighthouse had sitting out on the beach

[oh how I loved staying in those!]

Sunrise on the beach is just a special time to [truly] feel God's goodness.
I really like this quote, from my 'Quote of the Day' a few days back:"Do not be
too timid or squeamish about your actions.

ALL life is an experiment.

The more mistakes you make, the better.

What if they're a little off
course,
and you may get your coat soiled or stained?

What if you do fail and
get fairly rolled in the dirt once or twice?

Up again, you will never be
so afraid of a tumble."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson
It's really the truth, isn't it?

That it's through our little [or big] mistakes
[or poor decisions, or bad choices] that we learn and become more resilient -
And more confident in our choices.

More confident in ourselves.

This last year
I've met so many people who are

unsure of their choices; who are learning to
trust their 'inner voice.'
Who are reaching out to God for forgiveness and guidance.

As I've pondered this quote this week I've thought a lot about how some people
believe they must be perfect to the point of it paralyzing them from truly
living life - some people are too afraid to take a chance [on ANYTHING] for
fear of making a mistake or taking a roll in the dirt... when in reality, all
of life is a risk.

As we take those risks, small and large, we grow in confidence and trust.

And
the truth is -

We're not perfect.

Risk is a part of life.

We're going to
make mistakes. As I was at the beach this week and
reminded again so vividly about the constancy of God,

this song came to mind...

Great is thy faithfulness,
Great is thy faithfulness,
Morning by morning, new mercies I see...
All I have needed, they hand has provided...
Great is they faithfulness,
Lord unto me...
I am so blessed to have a Savior who knows my imperfections, knows that some of
the risks of life and my choices around those, are going to result in a tumble
now and then, and yet, He gives me a fresh start at the beginning of each new day.
Great is His faithfulness!!!

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

[and yes, the oldest is checking on the house, and EmmaLou, and Pawley…]

I love this social work con [trying to be all-hipster, there] for a few reasons -

The Gulf - hello?!?

LOTS of Continuing Ed!!

And LOTS of different topics within the SW realm...

Truly - a great little get-a-way for lots of reasons...

- I’m so glad that my sweetheart can come along to The Gulf with me.

It’s one of our most favorite places to be together…

So – This post is supposed to be about Recipes! Healthy Eating! Etc.!

And I thought I’d share a favorite with you –

Shrimp and Grits

This really such a simple recipe to make –

and y’all know I’m such a detailed cook -ha -

So, this is what I do [feel free to make it more complicated, if you want -]

First, I get out my bag of frozen shrimp [already cooked, usually] and break the tails off -

I might saute them quickly in a little olive oil [or water]

but usually just throw them in the grits once they're done...

I put some chicken broth in a pot to boil and then add instant grits

[When I've been without grits, I've been known to make the very specialized polenta with good ole southern [white] cornmeal instead...]

As this cooks to the consistency I desire, I stir in some shredded cheddar cheese [or really any cheese I have that I want to use - smokey Gouda is SO DELISH.]

Next is a little chopped up [cooked] bacon, from the bag of pre-cooked bacon slices we keep in the fridge...Then, I either stir in the shrimp and heat until warmed,

or serve in bowls and top with the shrimp -

whatever seems right at the time...

You can see my 'go-to' recipe is really THAT simple

and can be on the table in less than thirty minutes...

Now, I have been known to get a little fancier, especially if I have some fresh onion and bell pepper on hand -- in that case, I saute' the veggies in olive oil until they're nice and tender, and add the shrimp with a little creole spice before popping them on top of the grits.

Still, a pretty simple meal. It's one of our favorites... Right up there with calling Publix to boil us up some shrimp and picking up a baked potato from Steak-Out.

[and may need to start playing those mind-strengthening games the oldest has told me about - although, I prefer to blame a little absent-mindfulness on an overly busy schedule]

I found a photo of a favorite page that I completed early last year...

This is a favorite -

I think we sometimes struggle with just how to scrapbook a non-people photo...

Well, y'all know I like to bunch up a lot of tags to the side... so I did that, and then added a favorite quote on top - dots under the photo anchor it to the page and coordinate with the borders to the left.

It's a favorite of mine!

And yes... I've now looked in my October folder

and found a few I took photos of layouts completed during the Halloween Retreat -

Love this one [completed for a challenge - ] and thought I'd share it since it's still sweetheart month -- just random photos gathered together with a cute title.

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

And
I immediately thought that it would make a cute wreath for the door if
it was covered in burlap -

And I have a TON of burlap that I've saved
from using on our camping tables before everyone started carrying the
[much more] easy to use 'runners' you can get now --

I was especially glad to see that I had a whole roll of wide burlap ribbon [I guess that's what you'd call this - it's finished on each side so you don't have deal with all the fray that raw edges of burlap tends to have - ]

So I wrapped it, and wrapped it, twisting it along the way so that it bulked up a bit and covered the square completely.